Coupon book



Nov. 19, 1957 B. HARRIS cou on BOOK Filed March 23, 1955 INVENTOR BILLUPS HARRIS ATTORNEYS THIS BOOKLET FREE WiNNER THIS BOOKLET FREE United States. Patent COUPON BOOK Billups Harris, Columbus, Miss. Application March 23, 1955, Serial No. 496,178 1 Claim. 01. 281-18) This invention relates generally to coupon books, and more particularly to coupon books containing a plurality of detachable merchandise value coupons.

It is a well-known practice in the art of retail sales promotion to oifer merchandise value in the form of a ticket that may be punched or a coupon book having detachable merchandise value coupons therein. The customer is induced to buy such a book because its price is usually set at approximately 10% less than the total value which it represents in merchandise. Another common sales promotion practice provides for refunding, to certain purchasers, the purchase price which was paid for the coupons.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a coupon book which may be conveniently used as a retail sales promotion device, being adaptable for use when employing both of the above outlined sales promotion practices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coupon book having a surface which is concealed from view when the book is distributed, whereby a refund symbol appearing on such a surface can be discovered only after the book has been purchased and the purchaser has torn it open.

Another object of this invention is to provide a coupon book from which selected coupons may be readily detached when needed and yet concealed and protected from damage at other times.

Another object is to provide a coupon book which is simple in structure, economical to manufacture, handy in use, and attractive in design.

Other objects, advantages and features will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the invention, shown here in assembled form;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the invention, shown here having been torn open for use and showing in phantom lines the manner in which the contents of said book may be swung into accessible position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank which may be used in assembling the invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank which may be used in assembling the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the coupon book comprises a plurality of coupon sheets 1, each of which may embody a stub portion 3, and one or more coupons 5. Indicia (not shown) is provided on each of the coupons 5 to indicate the particular merchandise value represented thereby. Perforated lines 7 may be formed in the sheets 1 to enable convenient separation of the coupons 5 from one another as well as from the stub portion 3. The coupon sheets 1 are adapted to be encased in a jacket 12, being mounted between a front ice.

. 2 M cover 9 and a back cover 11 of said jacket by means of a conventional two-piece fastening element 13 which extends through hole 15 adjacent the top of said back cover and through holes 14 in the stub portions 30f sheets 1, thereby securing said sheets to said back cover. It will thus be seen that the coupon sheets 1 thus mounted on the fastening element 13 as a pivot, may b'eswung out (as shown by 'the'phantomlines in Fig. 2), or fanned out to make the respective individual coupons readily accessi-" ble for selection and detachment.

The jacket 12 of the book may be conveniently formed from a single blank of stiifened paper or the like. In a preferred form (shown in Fig. 4) the jacket 12 comprises: a central portion 16, adapted to form the back cover 11; a side flap 17, adapted to form the front cover 9; a side flap 18, adapted to serve as a closure; and upper and lower flaps 21 and 23, respectively, also adapted to serve as closures. Thus when a block of coupon sheets 1 has been positioned face up on central portion 16, and secured thereto by the fastening element 13, the upper flap 21, lower flap 23, and side'flap 18 may be folded in turn over the block, whereupon side flap 17 may be folded over the entire assembly, securing said assembly in this position by means of adhesive material on the portions 25, 27 and 29, of said side flap 17.

When the book has been thus assembled and sealed, as shown in Fig. 1, its contents are concealed from view but the book can be readily opened to expose its contents to view by tearing along weakened lines 31 and 33 provided adjacent the inner edges of flaps 21 and 18, respectively. It will thus be seen'that a purchase-value refund symbol 35 and/or notice :37 may be effectively concealed beneath the front cover 9 of the jacket 12 to be discovered only after the purchase of the book has been made and the purchaser has torn the jacket 12 open.

An alternate form which the invention may take is shown in Fig. 6, the resultant book being shown in Fig. 5. As in the previously described form, this blank comprises the central portion 16, the flaps 17, 18, 21, and 23, and the weakened lines 31 and 33, but while it includes the adhesive material on portions 25 and 29, it employs adhesive on an outer portion 39 of side flap 18 rather than on portion 27 of flap 17. Thus, assembly is effected as before except that side flap 17 is secured in place before side flap 18 is folded over, whereupon said latter side flap is folded to overlie the outer surface of flap 17 assembly and affixed to said former side flap, thus securing said assembly in position.

It will thus be seen that the invention disclosed herein in two of its many possible forms, is well adapted to serve the purposes of retail sales promotion, as previously described, and entirely fulfills the objectives stated heretofore. It should be understood that numerous changes in construction, arrangement, assembly, size and the like may be made, without departing'from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A coupon book, comprising: a back cover; a plural-- ity of stacked coupon sheets overlying said back cover, each of said coupon sheets including an upper stub por-- tion and at least one coupon attached below said stub portion; a separable fastening element extending through. holes in the middle of said stub portions and through a. centrally located hole adjacent the top of said back cover,

whereby said sheets are pivotally mounted with respect:

v ewed, w- 511 sidestof said book'- and substantially conceal from view the contents of said book, whereby a symbol borne on the inside of said front cover cannot be seen; and weakened lines provided along the inner extremities of the flaps extending from said-top edge and said other side edge, wherebywhen said coupon book is torn open along said weakened lines, said untorn bottom flap cooperates with said nntorn side to provide a pocket between said covers wherefrom said coupon sheets may be pivoted outwardly with portions of said coupon sheets swinging outwardly through the torn side of :the coupon book and other portions of said sheets passing upwardly through the torn top of said coupon book.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bowen Apr. 8, 1890 Carpenter May 31, 1904 McClain Ian. 7, 1908 Niver Oct. 30, 1917 Shuss Feb. 7, 1933 Harris Feb. 15, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 23, 1899 

